US Navy moves second aircraft carrier near North Korea, Two Chinese Fighter Jets Intercept U.S. Plane Over East China Sea

The US Navy is moving the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula where it will conduct dual-carrier training exercises with the USS Carl Vinson amid heightened tensions in the region, two defense officials told CNN.

The move comes just days after North Korea demonstrated a significant leap forward in their missile program after launching a projectile that achieved “successful” controlled reentry into the Earth’s lower atmosphere rather than falling back to the surface, according to a preliminary US intelligence analysis, two US officials tell CNN.

The USS Ronald Reagan departed for the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday after completing a maintenance period and sea trials in its homeport of Yokosuka, Japan, according to the Navy.

Two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a U.S. “sniffer” plane over the East China Sea, two U.S. military officials told NBC News on Thursday.

The WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft, which “sniffs” the atmosphere for signs of nuclear activity, was conducting a routine mission Wednesday in international airspace over the East China Sea when two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft intercepted it, the officials said.

The officials wouldn’t say whether the confrontation was considered unsafe, but they said the crew of the U.S. plane described it as “unprofessional.” The U.S. plane was operating in accordance with international law, they said.

Officials said the matter was being addressed with China through “appropriate diplomatic channels.”